Treasurer Fitzgerald: Yearning to See Something Green? Try the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt

March 5, 2019

DES MOINES, IA -- Iowans who are yearning to see something green after record amounts of snow this winter do not have to wait until St. Patrick’s Day or spring weather to roll around. According to State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald, a visit to GreatIowaTreasureHunt.govmight just add some green in the form of unclaimed property to their wallets.

Treasurer Fitzgerald encourages all Iowans to check the website for a forgotten treasure. “Our database contains names of individuals and businesses from all over Iowa,” Fitzgerald stated. “We explored our list to find those Irish connections this St. Patrick’s Day. Names include Irish, Ireland, Clovers, Shamrocks, Greens and even a Lucky Pub Grub in Ankeny.”

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $259 million in unclaimed property to more than 592,000 people since Fitzgerald created it in 1983. Unclaimed property refers to money and other assets held by financial institutions or companies that have lost contact with the property’s owner for a specific period of time. State law requires these institutions and companies to annually report unclaimed property to the state treasurer’s office. The assets are then held until the owner or heir of the property is found. Common forms of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, utility security deposits and safe deposit box contents.

Visit GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov to begin your search. Keep up with all of our programs on social media (Facebook and Twitter @IowaTreasurer).